A Treasure from the Walker Library at the Johnson

June 6th, 2012

Collecting Imagination: Treasures from
the Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination
(June 7–October 29, 2012, at the Hirshland Gallery in the Carl A. Kroch
Library) presents a remarkable array of rare books, manuscripts, and
artifacts from the collection of Jay (’77) and Eileen (’76, ’78) Walker. This
exhibit marks the first time an extensive selection of objects from this unique
private collection has been on public view, featuring such treasures as an
original Soviet Sputnik alongside a U.S. Vanguard satellite, a cuneiform cone
from 2000 BC, and a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible.

More information and events can be
found on the Cornell Library website. In addition to the main exhibit at the
Kroch Library, satellite exhibits featuring items from the Walker Library are
on display across the Cornell campus and at the Tompkins County Public Library,
located in downtown Ithaca. Visit the “Satellite Exhibits” page of the
exhibit website for the complete schedule.

On
view at the Johnson Museum in the Ancient and Medieval Gallery on the first
floor is a book of hours believed to be made for Margaret of Austria
(1480–1530), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy.
Margaret was highly educated, a skilled musician, and a poet whose collections
included illuminated manuscripts and printed books. Prized both for its famous
owner as well as its great beauty and workmanship, the book has been disbound, offering visitors a unique opportunity
to view the leaves individually.

A Treasure from the Walker Library at the Johnson Gallery (Click an image to open slideshow)